Why Me? Why Sea2Sea?

After thinking about this for a while and a number of people urging me to do so, I’m now committed to writing a regular blog about the Sea2Sea 2012 Challenge. Why me? I think that the photo below taken from a US Air Force medevac flight from Lourdes Hospital, France to Landstuhl Regional Military Hospital, Germany on 21 Sep 2009 sums it up

For me its about giving back what was given to me by the US military – my life, my health, my mobility, and a chance to make a difference by sharing my experiences of being in a trauma ward for 2 1/2 weeks with wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the story isn’t really about me. It’s about the sacrifices that the US and UK service members, veterans, and their families have made since 9/11 and why we can be both proud and humbled by their heroic efforts to preserve our freedoms and our way of life.

It is a also a story of raising awareness and hope and helping to come to a better understanding about how service members, veterans, and their families can help us in our challenges to renew, rebuild, and revitalise our societies and communities with the skills, knowledge, experience, talents, and attitude that they have gained through their service.

This is why I’m cycling 4200 miles across the UK and continental US – to remember those who are no longer with us, to honour those who have been in uniform or have been a family member of those who wore the uniform, to support those still in uniform and those transitioning to civilian life, and hopefully, by these actions, continue to serve them and our countries in an honourable manner.